On the road

The only vehicle statistics currently available in Canada are based on provincial vehicle registrations for light-duty passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks. The total number of EVs and HEVs as of July 2009 is approximately 60,000 out 21.6 million registered vehicles.

Québec

The largest testing program for EVs in Canada began in December 2010 with the commissioning of the first five Mitsubishi i-MiEVs, for a demonstration project in the city of Boucherville. As of December 2011, about thirty i-MiEVs are in use by local businesses' vehicle fleets. At completion, fifty i-MiEVs will be used in this project, which will have an emphasis on assessing the performance of EVs under winter conditions. Hydro-Québec will instrument the Mitsubishi i-MiEVs to collect data on the volume and frequency of charging, as well as the behavior of the battery as a function of the temperature extremes that are unique to Québec’s climate.

Image of 2012 iMiEV courtesy of Mitsubishi.

Ontario

Pilot projects are a crucial element of Ontario’s EV activities. The Province, along with three other partners, has signed an agreement with Toyota Canada to obtain a PHEV model of the Toyota Prius in order to test vehicle and battery performance in real-world scenarios. Similarly, Ontario’s local utilities are endeavoring to demonstrate EVs to better understand their impacts to the grid. Toronto Hydro will provide 15 electric drive versions of the Smart fortwo to selected customers for a four year period, while Burlington Hydro will also be adding a Rapid Electric Vehicle to its fleet as part of its GridSmartCity initiative.

British Columbia

The Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV) Network coordinates plug-in EV activities in the province, including charging infrastructure roll-out and vehicle deployments.BC Hydro was the first utility in Canada to announce a deal with Mitsubishi Motors to take delivery and begin road testing the i-MiEV by the end of 2009.

BC Hydro has partnered with several auto manufacturers, including Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota and GM/Chevy, to conduct electric vehicle pilots and early commercial deployments. The goal of these partnerships is to better understand the implications to our customers and distribution system and to build awareness of the environmental benefits of the cars.

Green Fleets BC is an independent nonprofit program that promotes green vehicle demonstrations and assists in identifying solutions for green fleets.